Brothers
by CCMoore
Summary: What if Roseanna and Johnse had been allowed to marry? Would things have been different for them and their families? This story contains some slight romance but it is also about sibling relationships and how far they will go to protect each other even if they don't always agree with each other's choices.
1. Chapter 1

Brothers

Author's note: This idea came to me after hearing Devil Anse's line about wether or not things would have been different if he would have let Johnse marry Roseanna. This is just my version of what might have changed.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Roseanna McCoy whisphered to her finace, Johnse Hatfield, as they approached his Uncle Wall's office.

"Well, believe it darling cause you and I are fixin to be man and wife," Johnse smiled putting his arm around her and kissing the top of her head.

The two young lovers procceded into the building where Wall, Devil Anse, Levicy and Cap Hatfield awaited their arrival.

"Are you sure this is what you two want?" Wall asked the young couple.

"Absolutely," Johnse answered for both of them without hesistation.

Wall sighed and gave a sideways glance to Devil Anse who simply nodded his approval.

As his uncle began the vows Johnse searched the faces of his family. His Ma had a slight smile on her face, his Pa was stonefaced as he leaned against the bars of the jail cells smoking his pipe and his younger brother simply stared at the floor. Johnse knew that none of them truly approved of this but he was happy nonetheless that they were standing there with them unlike Roseanna's family. Roseanna's father had disowned her when he'd found out about their relationship and the rest of her family had followed suit.

"And by the power vested in me by the state of West Virginia, I now pronounce you man and wife," Wall finished.

As they embraced, Johnse leaned down and kissed his new wife. He couldn't imagine a better day, he had never thought himself the marrying kind but all that had changed when Roseanna had come along.

"Well son, I hope you two are prepared for what's to come cause life is gonna be a whole lot harder for you now," Anse said placing a hand on his eldest son's shoulder.

"Why is that, Mr. Hatfield?" Roseanna frowned.

"Because your Pa and the rest of your family ain't gonna like the fact that the two of you are married now."

"He won't care. Pappy don't want nothing to do with me no more," Roseanna replied hanging her head sadly.

"We'll be okay, Pa. We got each other now and together we can meet any obstacle thrown at us," Johnse said turning Roseanna to face him.

Roseanna lifted her head and smiled brightly at her new husband. She knew in her heart that Johnse was right. She did miss her family, her Pappy, her Mama, and all of her siblings. But she had Johnse and now that they were married she was gonna have to let go of her past and think about the future.

"What if that obstacle's a gun?" Cap said looking up.

"It won't happen, Cap. McCoy's won't cross over the Tug, they'd be outnumbered here," Johnse said trying to convince everyone including himself that there was no danger.

"Are you crazy, big brother? McCoy's ain't just gonna sit idly by while you two play happy couple," Cap answered moving closer to his brother, "And they won't be outnumbered if they show up at your house when none of us is there."

Johnse let go of Roseanna's hand and moved to confront Cap, "I can handle myself, Cap. I can protect myself and my wife from any danger that may come"

"Mark my words, someday soon her family is gonna show up to take her back and the fact that you two are married now won't matter one bit. There is gonna be hell to pay and the rest of us are gonna be caught in the crossfire."

"Alright, that's enough, boys," Levicy said stepping between her two sons, "This is a happy day and I don't want any talk of what's to come spoiling it. So let's just head on home and celebrate as a family."

Cap stood there a moment glaring at his older brother before finally adhering to his mother's request. He stomped out the door, mounted his horse and rode away.

"Don't you pay no mind to my brother, sweet darling," Johnse said returning to Roseanna's side and once again taking her hand, "He's wrong nothing is gonna happen. I believe our union will help settle things tween our two families. Hell, if it wasn't possible my Pa would have never agreed to it to begin with but you gotta believe it too. You just watch in no time at all everything is gonna be fine and no one will get hurt. I promise you. And I ain't broke a promise to you yet now have I?"

"No you haven't," Roseanna smiled and kissed him once again.

Months passed quickly and as Johnse had promised there was no sign of trouble from the McCoy family. Johnse and Roseanna had been blissfully living the life of a married couple and soon word came that Roseanna was expecting. Roseanna desperately wanted to tell her folks about the baby but Johnse wasn't so sure that it was a good idea.

"Darling, I know that you want to tell them in person but I just wanna make sure that you and our baby are safe and I just don't think that you going back there alone is a good idea. What if they don't let ya come back?"

"I know they will, Johnse. No matter how mad about us my Pappy is he won't hurt me," Roseanna answered attemping to reassure her husband that all would be alright.

"Then let me go with you, we can tell them together. We are married and the news of a baby should be delivered together anyways. That will assure them that I'm a good husband to you and that will assure me that you and the baby are safe."

"I said that they wouldn't hurt me but I can't guarantee that they won't hurt you. Remember last time when my brothers saw us kissing, they shot you. I don't wanna see that happen again."

"Ok, how about your cousin Nancy? She's comin by to visit tomorrow ain't she? You can tell her about the baby then and ask her to tell your folks. That way you'll know their feelings about it and no one will be at risk of gettin hurt."

Roseanna thought a moment, she knew that Johnse was never gonna let her go by herself and in all honestly she couldn't really blame him for it. She didn't really wanna continue to argue with him either. At least he was trying to come up with a solution that would be best for both them and hadn't demanded that someone else go with her like his brother Cap. Cap had been a little more ampicable lately than he had been on the day of their wedding but she also knew that despite losing his eye at the young age of fourteen he was still the best shot in the family. She also knew that if he did go all it would take was one insult from her brothers about his family or his eye for the shooting to start. So sighing she agreed to the compromise that Johnse had suggested.

"Thank you darling. I know that when we got married I promised that things were gonna be different but I'm not sure that they are right now but hopefully by tomorrow they will be." Johnse said wrapping his arms around her.

The next day, Roseanna told Nancy who in turn feigned happiness and promised to go directly to her aunt and uncle and tell them.

"I'll come back after I've told them, Roseanna, I promise," she smiled as she climbed into her cart.

Nancy had no intention of keeping that promise however. She knew that if delivered in the right way that this news would send her uncle and cousin's over the edge with their hatred for the Hatfield's. But she needed some help and she knew exactly who she could get to help her so she went straight into Pikeville to see Perry Cline.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Hatfields and McCoys nor any of its characters. I am not making any money off of this it is strickly for fun.

Roseanna paced the floor nervously, it had been a day since she'd told Nancy about the baby and still no word on how her folks had reacted once Nancy had told them. A knock came at the door and Roseanna rushed to answer praying that it was Nancy. Unfornatuely, it was only Cap and Robert E. looking for Johnse

"Sorry boys he's not here, he had some deliveries to make today and won't be back until sometime this evening. You're more than welcome to wait though," she told them gesturing for them to come inside.

Robert E. started inside but Cap stopped him a hand to his chest, "That's ok, we'll just come back later."

Robert E looked at him puzzled but Cap simply put his hat back on and headed back towards his horse.

"Why can't we stay, Cap?" Robert E. asked following his brother.

"Because there's no sense it, Johnse 's who I need to talk to and he ain't here so why stay?" Cap answered mounting his horse.

"We could visit with Roseanna till he gets back," Robert E. countered.

"Nah, there's work to be done so we need to get to the timber yard and help Pa."

Robert E. waved goodbye to Roseanna as he and Cap galloped away. Halfway back home, Cap noticed a group of men heading towards them each one armed. He immeaditely recognized them as Roseanna's brothers. It's finally happening, he thought, the McCoys are finally coming for Roseanna. If she hadn't been pregnant with his brother's child, he would have gladly handed her over. But with Johnse not being home he felt it was his duty to make sure that Roseanna and the baby were safe.

"Robert E head back to Johnse's, grab Roseanna and take her into the woods and hide and don't you even think about coming out until you hear me or Johnse. You got it?" Cap said turning to his brother

"What are you gonna do?" Robert E asked.

"I'll hold em off for as long as I can. Now do what I said and get outta here."

"But there's five of them, are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes! Now go!" Cap shouted.

Robert E. did as he was told and headed back to Johnse's cabin.

"That's Cap Hatfield," Jim McCoy shouted to his brothers as they got closer to the figure waiting in the middle of the road, "I wonder what he's doing here"

"Musta just come from Johnse's house, probably getting some of that horse piss his brother calls whiskey," Tolbert spat viciously.

"Maybe we should head back I really don't wanna tangle with Cap," Bud said nervously.

"It's too late now, Bud. I'm pretty sure he's already seen us." Calvin said.

Cap held his breath praying that Robert E had reached the cabin and made it into the woods with Roseanna.

"What do you want? Ain't you McCoys on the wrong side of the Tug?" Cap said as they pulled their horses to a stop.

"We're here to kill your scumbag brother for knocking up our sister. Now get outta the way," Tolbert said moving his horse closer to Cap.

"Fraid I can't do that. You see Johnse ain't home and I ain't about to let you through even if he was," Cap smiled.

"I ain't gonna ask ya twice," Tolbert said

"Good then I guess I'll be seeing ya cause my answer's not changing," Cap said sitting straighter in his horse.

Tolbert smiled before slamming his fist into the side of Cap's jaw knocking him from his horse. While Cap was trying to recover from the sucker punch, Tolbert jumped off his horse and began kicking him in the side.

"What's your problem Tolbert?" Cap asked trying to move away from Tolbert's kicks as he felt a crack in his ribs.

"Tolbert, stop! We're after Johnse not him!" Phamer shouted jumping off his horse and moving towards his brother.

Before Phamer reached him, Tolbert delivered another kick this time to Cap's head knocking him unconscious.

"Dammit, Tolbert!" Jim said, "Weren't you listening?! We came here to make Johnse pay not the entire Hatfield clan!"

"Don't you see what's happened?" Tolbert said taking a deep breath.

"Yeah you've brought down the wrath of every Hatfield on our heads," Jim said looking at Cap's motionless form.

"No we can use him to get Johnse to come to us."

"Why Tolbert? I got nothing against Cap. Johnse's the one who took Roseanna away," Phamer asked confused.

"Exactly, he used our sister to get what he wanted and now we have the opportunity to use his brother to get what we want. Calvin, you and Phamer tie up Cap here, Jim write a note telling Johnse to come to Uncle Harmon's place, alone and unarmed or his brother dies," Tolbert said delivering one final kick to Cap's side before mounting his horse.

The rest of the McCoys looked at each other before deciding to give Tolbert's plan a chance. Jim watched as two of his younger brothers tied up and then slung him over the back of Calvin's horse. Sighing he wrote the note then attached it to the saddle horn on Cap's horse before sending the animal back towards Johnse's place.

While his brother was being beaten and kidnapped Johnse was steering his horse and cart back to his home whistling a happy tune. As he got closer he noticed that Robert E.'s horse was there. He didn't think much of it because his family would visit from time to time and with him being gone at least Roseanna had somewhere to keep her company. He climbed out of his cart then unhooked his horse and put her in the stall so she could eat.

Turning towards the cabin he noticied something odd: the front door was open and no one had come out to greet him. He entered and saw that his wife and brother were no where in sight.

"Roseanna! Robert E!" Johnse called stepping back outside.

He yelled three more times before finally getting an answer from Robert E, "Johnse, is that you? Is it safe?"

" Of course it's me! Now come on out!" Johnse said searching for where Robert E's voice had come from.

His question was answered when Robert E slowly emerged from the trees behind the cabin with his gun drawn and Roseanna trailing behind.

"Oh Johnse thank God you're alright!" Roseanna cried rushing to embrace him.

"Darling what on earth happened to make you think I wasn't?"

Roseanna tried to explain but soon tears of relief overtook her and Johnse could no longer understand a word she was saying. After taking her in his arms to try and calm her, he turned to Robert E and asked him what had happened.

"Well, Cap said he wanted to talk to you about something but you weren't here when we got here so Cap and I left. We got about halfway home when we ran into the McCoy's riding this way all five of em fully armed. Cap told me to come back here and take Roseanna and hide in the woods and not to come out until you or him came."

"Where's Cap then?" Johnse asked looking to every possible point that would be an idle hiding place for his sharpshooting little brother.

"He stayed behind, he said that he'd hold em off for as long as he could. You didn't see him anywhere on the road?"

"No I came from the opposite direction," Johnse said his voice full of worry.

Roseanna calmed her breath then turned to her husband, "We thought you got here so fast because you ran into Cap."

"You really didn't see him?" Robert E. asked again his voice growing more nervous with every word.

"Robert E. do you really think I'd be asking where he was if I had seen him?" Johnse answered shortly, "Take Roseanna back in the house, I'm gonna go look for Cap."

Johnse grabbed Robert E.'s gun and started down the road on foot only feet from the house what he saw struck fear in his heart. It was Cap's horse without a rider.

"Oh dear God," Johnse whisphered rushing forward and grabbing the animals reins.

He yelled his brother's name a couple of times hoping that Cap had simply fallen off or was hiding to avoid the McCoy brothers. He was let down however when no answer came and then he saw the note that had been attached to the horse's saddle. Hanging his head he removed the note and walked back to the cabin leading the horse. Though he hadn't read it he knew that the note held nothing good.

"Robert E., it's okay y'all can come back out here," Johnse said glumly.

"Did you find Cap? Is he alright? What happened with the McCoys?" Robert E asked firing off questions quickly as he exited the cabin.

Johnse unfolded the note and without a word handed it over to Robert E who read it aloud.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review. Chapter 3 to follow soon


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

"Dear Johnse, you took our sister and shamed our family so we have taken your brother," Robert E. paused when he heard Roseanna gasp at this, "If you want to ensure that he does not pay for your actions come to our Uncle Harmon's place alone and unarmed."

"Oh no! Oh God! How could they do this?" Roseanna cried.

"Dammit!" Johnse cursed hitting his fist against the wall of the cabin.

"What are you gonna do Johnse?" Robert E asked sadly refolding the note.

He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer to his question though, being a Hatfield meant that you looked out for your family and protected them if need be.

"What do you mean what am I gonna do? I'm gonna go get Cap of course."

"No Johnse you can't they'll kill you! That's what they came here to do in the first place," Roseanna protested.

"So what am I supposed to do then, huh, just let em kill my little brother? He wouldn't even be in danger if I had been here and if your family didn't hate mine so much. They disowned you thinking that I would break your heart and you would come crying home begging them to take you back but when that didn't happen they come storming across the Tug to kill me for marrying you and getting you pregnant. I have no choice, Roseanna, I have to go!" Johnse shouted frustrated.

"But I love you and I don't wanna lose you especially now that we're having a baby. I'm happy with you once they see that they'll let Cap go!"

"No they won't! They don't care if you're happy! They would rather see you miserable than married to me!"

"At least tell your Pa first then, that way he can go with you," Roseanna begged.

"The note said to come alone. I don't wanna do it that way but I have to to make sure Cap is safe. Please understand, darling," Johnse said kissing her cheek and heading to his horse.

Roseanna watched him ride away before she turned to Robert E, "We can't let him go alone. We have to get your Pa and your uncles. I know my brothers and despite what he believes they will never let him or Cap leave that cabin alive. If we don't get them some help they're both as good as dead."

Robert E. thought a moment. He had heard every word that Johnse had said and he had read the note. But he loved both of his brothers and he didn't wanna see either one of them hurt or killed especially when he had the ability to help them out.

"We have to hurry. Come on I know a shortcut," he said mounting his horse and offering Roseanna a hand up.

Eventhough the ride home was shorter than the road would have been it was still dark and had started to rain by the time they reached his home. He started shouting for his Pa dismounted his horse and helped Roseanna down.

"Pa! Pa!" he was still shouting as he rushed inside.

Anse emerged from his bedroom gun in hand with Levicy right behind him pulling her shawl around her.

"Robert E. what is all the shouting about?" Anse said seemingly annoyed to be awoken without a reason.

"It's Cap and Johnse. McCoys come looking for Johnse but he wasn't there so they took Cap instead. They left a note telling Johnse to come to their uncle's old place or they'd kill Cap," Robert E. answered almost out of breath.

"Oh dear God," Levicy cried covering her mouth and burying her head in her husband's shoulder.

"Where's Johnse at now?" his face crinkled with worry.

"He's gone there already. Pa they told him to come alone and unarmed and he did. We gotta help him, Roseanna said she doesn't think that her brothers will hold up their end of the bargin. She thinks that they'll kill them both,"Robert E. finished.

"Please Mr. Hatfield, you have to hurry," Roseanna cried.

"Robert E saddle my horse!" Anse shouted rushing into the bedroom to get dressed, "We have to get everyone rounded up as quickly as possible"

"Yes Pa!" Robert E yelled running out the door.

"I'll get your boots," Levicy said wiping tears from her eyes.

"Mr. Hatfield, I know that they done wrong and they don't deserve any mercy but please swear to me that you won't hurt my brothers," Roseanna begged

Anse looked down, he really didn't know if he could make that promise because if Cap or Johnse were hurt he knew that he would never be able to live up to it. These were her brothers and her husband involved and he knew that it had to be hard for her asking him for something like that.

"If my boys are safe no harm will come to your brothers," Anse finally answered.

He was fixing to head out the door when Levicy grabbed his arm, "Bring our boys home, Anderson. Please."

"I promise you Levicy, I will bring our boys home. We won't lose them," he said kissing her cheek.

Roseanna watched as her father in law left silently praying that everything would be fine. When she told everyone that she didn't believe that her brothers would hold up their end of the bargain she was referring to one person in particular and that was Tolbert. With his quick temper, she feared that he had already hurt Cap and that had been the only reason they had taken him in the first place.

"Let's get you dried off," Levicy said bringing Roseanna out of her thoughts, "Don't want you coming down with something that might hurt the baby."

"I'm so sorry bout all this," Roseanna told her as she wrapped a blanket around her.

"Did you know they were gonna do this?" Levicy asked looking her in the eyes.

"No I had no idea."

"Then those no need to apologize. Roseanna darling you are gonna be a mother soon and then you'll learn that no matter what we can't always prevent other people's actions. I know you love Johnse and would never willingly bring him pain."

"He said he was going because he couldn't let his little brother be in danger cause of him. But Johnse didn't do anything wrong," Roseanna said sitting down at the table.

"No he didn't. I just think in Johnse's mind he thinks that this danger came cause he made the choice to marry you despite how others felt about it at the time," Levicy said her voice quivering with tears, "You've got siblings Roseanna you know how strong of a bond that can be. Johnse went to protect his brother and eventhough they are going about it the wrong way, your brothers probably believe that they are protecting you."

"Jim, Phamer, Bud and Calvin maybe. But Tolbert is hot headed, this whole thing was probably his idea in the first place and I'm not really sure if he'll willingly let Cap go even if Johnse shows up."

Levicy drew in a sharp breath and leaned against the stove. She didn't wanna lose either of her boys. Both of their faces popped into her head as she grabbed the edges of the stove to steady herself.

"I'm so sorry that I said that," Roseanna said rushing to Levicy.

"It's fine dear it's fine. Anderson promised me that he would bring them home and he's a good man. He loves our boys too and he'll make sure that they are safe I believe him. He'll bring them home," Levicy said using the towel in her hand to wipe away the tears that were now flowing.

As the women sat and talked, Anse and Robert E had finished rounding up Jim, Elias, Skunkhair and others and were now riding towards Kentucky to retrieve Cap and Johnse.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A/N: Wow three chapters in and still no reviews. That surprises me I've never gone that long before. Oh well, I guess I'll keep writing anyways but if you love it, hate it or just wanna give me your input please review. I really do love reading what people's opinions on my story are. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: please see previous chapter.

Cap was finally starting to come around while Johnse and Anse each headed to his rescue. As his brain began to focus he realized where he was and who he was with.

"His eyes are opening," Jim said hitting Tolbert lightly on the arm.

"It's about damn time, fog eye. I was starting to think that I killed you before your brother got here, that woulda taken all the fun out of it," Tolbert said rising from his chair and moving towards Cap.

"You better hope I don't get loose you bastard!" Cap shouted struggling to free himself from the rope that held him to the chair.

"What are you gonna do? You ain't got no gun we already took it," Calvin said feeling cocky.

Cap had always been an excellent shot and losing his eye had not changed that. The McCoys along with just about everyone else feared his proficiency with a gun which was why the first thing they had done was take his weapon.

"That's ok, as soon as I get loose I'll just take yours and give you a hole right between your eyes," Cap spat out his voice filled with hatred for his captors.

"Shut up!" Tolbert shouted backhanding Cap across the face.

"Tolbert don't!" Bud protested.

"Shut up Bud!" Tolbert replied delivering yet another slap to Cap's face.

"You just wait, McCoy. You'll pay for this," Cap countered spitting blood.

"Not from you, you'll be dead," Tolbert shrugged.

Pulling out his pistol, he began circling the chair that Cap was tied to, "You better pray that your brother gets here before dawn cause if he don't you'll be the one answering for his sins."

"What sins?"

"For soiling our sister's honor!"

"By marrying her? Your Pa's the one who kicked her out."

"He kicked her out because of your brother and what he did to her! He's the one who shamed our family!"

"Seems to me that you're the only one who's brought shame to your family!" Cap shouted.

This enraged Tolbert and he pistol whipped Cap across the jaw. He delivered three more blows before Jim pulled him off and away from their prisoner.

"Dammit Tolbert! You gotta stop this! We swore that Cap wouldn't get hurt in that letter we left for Johnse!"

"That can't happen now, Jim," Phamer said stepping between his brothers.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard him if we let him go he's gonna make sure that he kills us all especially after the beating Tolbert 's been giving him," Phamer whisphered.

Jim looked to Cap whose head was lolling up and down. He really didn't want kill him, he was just a kid really barely a year older than Bud. He was starting to regret being involved in this whole thing in the first place. But he couldn't just abandon his brothers and he knew too that if they let Cap go he would make good on his promise to kill them.

Suddenly, they heard a horse approaching, they moved to the windows guns drawn.

"Well at least the bastard ain't a coward,"Tolbert said spotting Johnse first.

"Let him go!" Johnse shouted trying to keep the anger and worry out of his voice, "I'm here alone and unarmed, just like y'all wanted, now let my little brother go!"

Tolbert opened the door and rushed out pistol in hand, "I'll be making the demands, Hatfield not you!"

Johnse stumbled a little as Tolbert pushed him to the door which angered Tolbert even more and he pushed Johnse again causing him to completely fall.

"Get up!"

"Tolbert," Jim said coming out the door and helping Johnse up off the ground, "That's enough."

Jim led Johnse the rest of the way into the cabin with Tolbert scowling at him the whole way.

"Oh my God!" What did you do to him?!" Johnse shouted jerking loose of Jim's hold on him and rushing to Cap's side.

Cap's head was resting against his chest but he raised it weakly when he heard his brother's voice.

"Johnse? Is that you? You gotta get outta here now. They're gonna kill you. Leave me just go," Cap said struggling for each word.

"I ain't leaving you, little brother," Johnse whispered, "I'm getting ya outta here."

Johnse couldn't take this he hadn't seen Cap in this much pain since the day he'd lost his eye. That day had simply been an unfortunate accident but by the looks of his face this was most definitely not the case this time.

"You got me here now let him go. He needs a doctor," Johnse said standing up angrily.

"Why? So he can be in good health for his execution?" Tolbert answered smugly.

"I bet you're the one who did this to him aren't you?"

"He needs to learn to keep his filthy mouth shut! I was just teaching him that!"

"You son of a bitch!" Johnse said charging towards Tolbert only to be stopped by Jim and Calvin.

Bud had been sitting quietly on the steps taking this whole thing in. Like Jim, he regretted being involved in this thing. He didn't know what had gotten into Tolbert, what had made him turn so violent but it was starting to scare him. He wanted to leave, to go home but he knew that if he did his brothers would consider him weak so he stayed. Praying that Johnse had not truly come alone and that this would be over soon.

"It's time, move em outside," Tolbert said stokily.

Calvin untied Cap and he immeaditely fell to the floor collapsing from the pain of his injuries.

"Get em up!"

"This is done, Johnse is the only one at fault here. We need to let Cap go, I ain't killing him. I don't know what's gotten into you Tolbert but it stops now," Jim said as Johnse bent down to help his little brother.

"You wanna know what's gotten into me Jim? I'll tell you, the Hatfields continue to shame our family and get away with it. First, Jim Vance kills Uncle Harmon then Floyd Hatfield steals our pig and now Johnse marrys our sister. They gotta pay for their actions. Someone has to hold them accountable and that person is gonna be me. The rest of you can leave if you want to but I'm gonna make sure that at least one of them pays."

"I love Roseanna, Tolbert. And she loves me and we're gonna have a baby. I ain't ashamed of any of that and neither is she so why are you?" Johnse said looking up.

"You ain't lying your way out of it this time. She don't love you!"

"She does love me. She begged me not to come here cause she knew that y'all were gonna kill me. If it hadn't been for Cap I probably wouldn't have come. She was crying when she found out when she read that letter you left. She couldn't believe what you had done," Johnse said standing up and moving closer to Tolbert.

This time Jim and Calvin did not stop him neither did Phamer or Bud. All of them were simply hanging their heads all ashamed of their actions cause they knew the truth in Johnse's words.

"I ain't listening to your lies anymore," Tolbert said shoving Johnse and moving past him.

"I ain't lying and you know it. Look at your brothers, Tolbert they know I'm telling the truth."

Tolbert looked at his brothers all of them were simply staring at the floor. He could see the doubt that they had for this plan in their body language but he wasn't backing down no matter what Johnse said or his brothers new feelings. He did the only thing he could he grabbed Cap by the arm and jerked him front of him as a shield then put his pistol to Cap's head.

"Fine, Johnse you think Roseanna would be in pain if I killed you than I'll just kill him. I'm sure that she won't miss him," Tolbert said with a smug smile.

"Tolbert? Have you gone mad?" Jim said.

"No I haven't but the rest of you have apparently because you're taking the word of a Hatfield," Tolbert said staring down his older brother.

Jim took a deep breath, though he believed that this whole thing had gotten way out of hand he still couldn't abandon Tolbert. They were brothers after all and brothers stood behind each other no matter what.

"Get em outside," Jim said turning to face his other siblings, "It's almost dawn, time to finish this."


End file.
